Cracked 1977 EZGO muffler header pipe

[mb523]

Hello all, long time no see! Hope everyone is doing fantastic!

This isn't much of a problem yet, but something I would like to fix. While doing some routine maintenance and inspection of my cart today I noticed that my muffler pipe is cracked at the second bend from the engine. I believe this is due to my welds from the muffler side engine mounting bracket cracking completely in half (again... crappy welds). Is this pipe weldable? Has anyone had success doing this?

I will get some photo's tomorrow of the carnage!

Guess this means I have to take the engine back out and re-weld that mounting plate too...

[vwralfy]

hi mb523! welding is what i did for a living for 4 years, almost anything steel is weldable...given the right heat/wire combo. sometimes if the steel is thin and/or rusty, which that pipe probably is, it may be safer to braze it than weld it since welding may burn thru the steel. bottom line is the fix will be in no way permanent, but instead more than likely a very temporary patch. hope the info helps in one way or another.

[pachanga90]

The pipes and mufflers weld pretty decent,just keep your amperage low and move fast,letting it cool as you go.I've fixed plenty of them over the years and have had good results and they hold up.

[thewskrs]

If you are welding cast pieces warm them up with a torch before you start the weld,then if possible be sure to put them in an oven and and jack it all the way up to 450, then turn it down 75 degrees per hour untill below 200. This will relieve the stress in the metal that builds as it is welded. If you have nickle rod it works best on cast iron. Regular rod is fine on cast steels. Been welding since the '60s.

[pachanga90]

The pipes are all mild steel on ez-go exhaust

[thewskrs]

Then they won't be particular as to the welding process. A little warm up around the weld area would still be good to relieve stress and the possible cracking down the road. but just warm it with a torch to a blue heat and let it air cool,.

[scott hightower]

Use ER70S-6 wire. It is a little forgiving on contaminated material. It is also in the low tensile range which may stand up better with the vibration.

Also, I would place a small patch over the area as opposed to trying to fill the crack.

Scott
Fab Manager
welders360

[brandon mitchel]

Is the header pipe for golf carts same with the header pipe in the cars?

[mb523]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I had repaired this a while ago just forgot to post. I was able to weld it all up fairly easily. I had a few blow-throughs on the header pipe but went nice and slow letting it cool to add more material to the area. Has held up wonderfully! Here are a few pics of the repaired parts.





The pipe out of the muffler has quieted it down a lot and added a bit more get up and go. It is just a bit too long I think... not as much top end.